Greene wrote these words in Philadelphia, after meeting with the Supply Committee of Congress on April 22, 1779. Command of Long Island was passed on to Major General Israel Putnam, who, while being an able commander, was not familiar with Greene's strategies and preparation. A Rhode Island foundry owner and politician before the Revolutionary War, Greene was affiliated with the Wards, one of two factions that dominated Rhode Island politics during the 1760s and 1770s. So successful were Greene’s efforts that Washington reported to Congress that summer that “by his conduct and industry [the Quartermaster Department] has undergone a very happy change, and such as enabled us, with great facility, to make a sudden move with the whole Army and baggage from Valley Forge in pursuit of the Enemy [to Monmouth, NJ] and to perform a march to this place [White Plains, NY].”[6], “Forage was to the revolutionary army what oil is to the twentieth-century army,” wrote the editors of Greene’s papers. Greene, in command of the reserve troops, was sent to defend against the surprise main attack on their right flank. The Second Continental Congress realized the need to formally organize the army and on June 14, 1775 the Continental Army was formed. Biographical Sketches of Royal Militia Commanders in the South Carolina Backcountry, 1780–82. NG to Samuel Huntington, Dec. 12, 1779, NG 5:164-167 and accompanying notes. Nathanael Greene was born in Rhode Island in 1742 of Quaker parentage. In a meeting with his generals, Washington was advised that he should wait for French reinforcements instead of engaging Clinton. [5] NG to Col. Hugh Hughes, Apr. Few took notice of this in the confusion that reigned at the end of the year, but Washington clearly did. on credit. [7], Food, supplies, horses, wagons, forage: the army needed them all, quickly, however and wherever they could be found. Greene was given command of 5,000 men, over half of the American force, in attacking the right flank. They seem to have been equally stymied by the whole situation. In November of 1770, Greene's father passed away and the family business was split among his brothers, with Nathanael running the newly built foundry in Coventry. Major General Nathanael Greene 3rd Quartermaster School Commandant March 1778 - August 1780. For Greene’s resignation, see “Headnote on NG’s Resignation,” NG 6:150-155. Greene's army reached Boston on May 23, 1775 to aide in the siege of Boston, which was controlled by British forces under the command of General Thomas Gage. Nathanael Greene, American general in the American Revolution (1775–83). Instead he educated himself over the course of his early adult life, reading according to his interests. Why was Greene named Quartermaster General? The following day, Washington ordered Greene to New Jersey to defend against a probable British advance toward Philadelphia. The HMS Gaspee, under the command of William Dudington, boarded the boat while it was anchored in Narragansett Bay. It is not an exaggeration to say that Greene’s actions here (made without prior guidance from Washington) saved the army and the Revolution in December 1776. He commanded the right wing of Washingtons task force during the Battle of Trenton on 26 December 1776. A self-made man with no military training, save reading military books, overcoming obstacles that would have sidelined a lesser individual to form himself into one of the most trusted officers of Washington. Greene, Nathanael. the primary duty of a general . [10], Congress ignored him, continuing to stall. Washington appointed him to head the committee of 14 generals that oversaw the trial of British Major John Andre, Arnold's accomplice, who had been captured while attempting to cross back into friendly territory. He accepted with the caveats that he could remain at Washington's side and appoint two of his friends as his assistants. Among the enclosures is a copy of a letter from Alexander Hamilton concerning the treason of General Benedict Arnold and the capture of Major John André. General Howe and most of his troops were camped just north of Philadelphia in Germantown. After consultations with Washington and various others, the committee’s attention began to focus on Greene. One such scholar that he met was Ezra Stiles, the future president of Yale College. Greene returned to Providence in early June to acquire more supplies, and this caused him to miss the Battle of Bunker Hill. David, if there’s anything I could do to help, by way of possibly speaking at a fundraiser, etc., let me know. The Greene family was among the earliest settlers in Rhode Island and had helped establish the colony in the 1630s. He maintained the organization of his department as it was handed to him by the previous Quartermaster General, Thomas Mifflin. The letters written through October 1780 pertain mostly to Nathanael Greene's duties as Quartermaster General and show the difficulties in supplying the needs of the Continental Army. I had previously shared it with the author of this article. Although having no prior military experience, Greene proved himself to be George Washington's most capable general, serving as the Quartermaster General and leading a successful southern campaign where more seasoned … However, as Greene’s experience as a QM demonstrates, Congress could hardly be relied upon to do the right thing. Like most Continental commanders, he was self-educated in military matters; he had read closely the era’s recognized military classics, and had acted, under Washington’s watchful eye, skillfully and efficiently. Major General Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742–June 19, 1786) was one of General George Washington's most trusted subordinates during the American Revolution.Initially commanding Rhode Island's militia, he earned a commission in the Continental Army in June 1775 and within a year was leading large formations in Washington's command. He aspired to become an officer, but he walked with a limp in his right leg and was told by his fellow militiamen that an officer with a limp would be an embarrassment. Nathanael Greene (August 7, 1742 – June 19, 1786) was a major general of the Continental Army in the American Revolutionary War. 26, 1778, NG 2:322; NG to GW, Mar. Nathanael Greene was born August 7, 1742 in Warwick, Rhode Island. On March 14, he chose his battlefield - the town of Guilford Court House. Midway through his two and a half year tour of duty as Quartermaster General of Washington’s army, Nathanael Greene wrote to George Washington: “No body ever heard of a quarter Master in History as such or in relateing any brilliant Action.” A later commander, Erwin Rommel, took a different view. Nathanael Greene. Greene suggested that the Continental Army should retreat and burn the city. Nathanael Greene and the Supply of the Continental Army By Edward Payson The Quartermaster Review May-June 1950. Worthington C. Ford et al. But Schuyler was in such bad odor with Congress that it was obvious he was unsuitable. Greene recognized early on that an adequate supply system was necessary to ensure success. Had Washington failed to finish the War, Congress would have been well served by appointing Greene. The best biography of Greene is Theodore Thayer, Nathanael Greene: Strategist of the American Revolution (1960). 7; to Gen. George Weedon, Mar. Col. Robert H. Harrison to NG, Nov. 3, 1776, NG 1:330-331. Nathanael (sometimes spelled "Nathaniel") Greene was one of the most respected generals of the Revolutionary War (1775-83) and a talented military strategist. As commander of the Southern Department of the Continental army, he led a brilliant campaign that ended the British occupation of the South. Curtis, an excellent article on a portion of Greene’s military career often given little notice. Stung, he fumed to Washington that “I am more and more convinced there is measures taken to render the business of the quarter masters Department odious in the Eyes of the people, and if I have not some satisfaction from the Committee of Congress respecting the matter, I shall beg leave to quit the Department. But this soon dissipated as news arrived that General Horatio Gates had been defeated at Camden, South Carolina, and Washington vigorously urged that Greene be appointed his successor as commander of the Southern Army. The committee reported to Congress that “Nothing but a thorough Conviction of the absolute necessity of straining every Nerve in the Service, could have brought these Gentlemen into Office upon any Terms.” Congress passed a resolution naming Greene Quartermaster General on March 2, 1778. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, North Africa, August 1942, quoted by Matthew Crilly, “El Alamein Train Station: Logistics,” http://www.iwm.org.uk/upload/package/21/creteegypt/standegypt11.htm. Greene was born in Potowomut, Rhode Island, on July 27, 1742. It was on this trek that one of Greene's soldiers, Thomas Paine, wrote the famous words, "These are the times that try men's souls." From boyhood he was trained to work in the mills and the forge owned by his father. He then called Congress’s bluff by threatening to resign. 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